Ben Johnson

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Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson was a playwright and a contemporary of Shakespeare; some might call them rivals. During the time they were both working in England, Ben Johnson was constantly insulting Shakespeare. Johnson would say that Shakespeare’s plays did not accurately depict the daily life of that time and that Shakespeare thought everything he did was art and therefore, he never edited a single thing he wrote.

Johnson was born in Westminster, London. His father died one month before he was born. His mother remarried a bricklayer. Ben attended school in London during his academic career. As he wrote his plays, some were successful and some were not. Johnson was imprisoned in jail after he killed a co-worker in a duel. These events led to Johnson becoming a very infamous character and made him very well known.